1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for controlling the transfer of data packets between a client an server over a communication media which is not a switched point to point connection. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for intercepting packets and either passing them or rejecting them based upon packet transfer information supplied by either the client or the server.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently most home computers are interconnected with the Internet and other online services by the public telephone network. This network is switched point to point in architecture and has a relatively small bandwidth which was originally designed for analog voice communication. It does not permit broadband data delivery such as multimedia. As a result, there are several efforts to create a broadband data delivery infrastructure for home computer applications. Such an infrastructure when combined with the increasingly powerful home computers that are now available will enable the delivery of rich multimedia programming to the home. In this setting, the home computer will be continuously connected to the broadband network and will be in communication with one or more servers at all times. Data will be transmitted in packets where packets are defined as a block of data with appropriate transmission data attached in the form of a header and footer to be sent or received over a network. This is in contrast with the current environment where access is through a temporary point to point circuit connection through the public telephone network. In this situation, the client controls access to the network by initiating and terminating the connection by "dialing" to connect and "hanging up" to terminate connection to the network.
In the environment where the home computer is always on line, the home computer, sometimes herein called the client, does not now have the ability to control packets of data that it either receives or sends without physically disconnecting from the network which is inconvenient. To have such an ability would be highly useful to a user by providing privacy and cost control in the case where users are charged by the time that they actually receive data. Such a capability could also facilitate control by the supplier since they can easily do an electronic disconnect if the clients do not pay their bills.